As a rule, you shouldn't cook with any wine you wouldn't drink, and you should never ever buy cooking wine in the supermarket. And yet, here I am, telling you do that, to buy Chinese shao hsing (or shao xing) wine, because without it you will never be able to recreate authentic Chinese dishes.

According to The Encyclopedia of Asian Food, shao hsing wine, also called "yellow wine", is named for the town in the northern Chekiang province of China which produces it. Blended from glutinous rice, millet, a special yeast and local mineral spring waters, the best shao hsing (not what's in the bottle in my pantry, but I'll explain) is fermented for at least 10 years, and is used both for drinking and for cooking. Shao hsing comes in three varieties: shang niang, which is robust; chu yeh ching, which owes its pale green color and delicate flavor to young bamboo leaves added during fermentation; and hsiang hsueh (fragrant snow), which is sweet and pale.

What I find in my Asian grocery is not the type of shao hsing wine that is long-aged and mellow (and what would you expect from a $1.65 bottle of wine?!), but it is perfect for cooking and adding a touch of authentic flavor. You can substitute dry sherry in equal amounts for shao hsing wine, but it's not quite the same. Shao hsing keeps forever in the pantry, stored at room temperature.

Stir-fried garlic lettuce

Lettuce is an auspicious vegetable to stir-fry for the Lunar New Year; the word for lettuce in Cantonese, saang choy, sounds like “growing fortune.” Iceberg (which, I confess, I absolutely love) is most commonly used for stir-fries, but romaine or any crispy lettuce work well in this recipe. Inspired by a recipe in Breath of a Wok by Grace Yang, this dish serves 4.

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the shao hsing wine, soy sauce, sugar and salt.

Heat a wok. Swirl in the vegetable oil, add the garlic, and stir-fry 5 seconds. Add the lettuce and stir-fry 1-2 minutes or until the lettuce is just limp. Stir the sauce, swirl it into the wok, and stir-fry 30-60 seconds or until the lettuce is just tender and still bright green. Remove from the heat and drizzle on the sesame oil.

Well, I confess to loving iceberg lettuce, too. Is there any green more refreshing or crisper in a salad? It gets a bad rap, but has its own merits, including some nutritional value. I'm certainly game to try this recipe with it.

What an interesting recipe! And quick! I like quick!
I can see why you would want iceberg, but I think I'll try it with my Romaine when it gets bigger...and dry sherry, of course. I need to find an Asian market....

Oh, that recipe looks delicious. Great line about the wine...so true. I think I might modify it a bit and use bok choy instead of iceberg, although I agree with you about that too -- it's definitely underrated as a green.

Lucy, this recipe will work with other kinds of lettuce or cabbage, too. If you can find this condiment in your market, do add it to your pantry.

Alex, bok choy would be great in this recipe, or romaine lettuce, or even celery.

Anh, I really do struggle with my pronounciation! But I shop so often in the Asian groceries that I have to keep trying!

Steamy Kitchen, welcome to The Perfect Pantry. This has become a real comfort food dish in our house. I love iceberg lettuce, and somehow when I cook with it instead of just eating it as salad, I feel like it's more nutritious -- even though I know it's just more crunchy!

Lydia, if you like shao hsing, you gotta try shao hsing hua tiao wine then. It's a lil' more fragrant, and slightly more potent than the regular SH wine. I usually prefer the latter. You might like it :)

Lydia, its in the same aisle as the regular shaoxing wine section. Just look out for that couple extra words "hua tiao". (read the fine print for the alcohol content) Oo..you might wanna check out rose wine too..my god, its delicious, its mainly used for marinating chinese bbq meats. Hope this helps, cheers !:)

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Welcome to The Perfect Pantry®

My name is Lydia Walshin. From my tiny kitchen in Boston's South End, I share recipes that use what we keep in our pantries, the usual and not-so-usual ingredients that spice up our lives. Thanks so much for visiting.